The Haunting of Mount Massive
by CynthiaMatthews74
Summary: Miles and Waylon, two brothers, moved with their family to Mount Massive, a small town in Colorado. They quickly learn the town is inhabited by strange people and maybe even haunted by a creature from German folklore. (Set in an alternate universe) (Also posted on Archive of our own)
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1: The Trip to Mount Massive (Waylon POV)**

Our car moved slowly along the lonely, winding country roads. We had been in this car for nearly seven hours, stopping only for the occasional bathroom or food breaks. Even after all this time, we were still in the middle of nowhere. I watched the passing trees and grass outside the window, playing some music through my headphones. I sighed, looking at my phone and opening the map app installed on it. Zooming out, I noticed we were in the middle of Colorado, heading west. I remembered where we were going: a small town called Mount Massive in Lake County of Colorado. It was southwest of Leadville and near the mountain Mount Massive, which was where the town got its name from. The mountain range and thick forests were the only thing around the small town. It was also built on the land where an old asylum was. According to rumors, the asylum was not only haunted, but the inmates were abused by the owners, the Murkoff Corporation. Now, the Murkoff Corporation was shut down but apparently some people who worked for them still live in Mount Massive. I've done my research on this place.

I was fine, and honestly pretty happy, with moving to Mount Massive. As long as there was an internet connection and a computer for me to work on my hobby of programming, I would probably be happy anywhere. Also, I preferred the quiet and peaceful forest setting. I was never really a social person and I spent most of my time at home, on some form of technology or doing some other quiet activity. My brother Miles, however, was a different story.

"Why do we have to move to this stupid town in the middle of nowhere?" Miles shouted at my parents, who were both in the front seat. Miles was my opposite, and you probably wouldn't even be able to tell we were brothers. I had blonde hair and dark brown eyes (usually covered by my glasses) while Miles had brown hair and light brown eyes. I was a lot more introverted and quiet, while Miles was definitely more extroverted and active. He was a high school senior while I was only a junior. He got in trouble many times for sneaking out in the middle of the night to go somewhere (he never said anything about what he does during this time). He's also very sarcastic and cynical.

"Because, Miles, your father has a business opportunity in Lake County. Besides, it'll do you good to spend some time away from big cities and all the excitement that comes with one," Our mother stated. Miles rolled his eyes. "Why can't you be respectful like your brother?" She added.

Hearing my name, I knew I would get dragged into this sooner or later. "Yeah well, Waylon didn't have any friends back in New York either," Miles responded. I knew he didn't really mean to insult me, it was just something he said to annoy our mother. Then again, Miles never really cared about other people's feelings.

"That's enough, Miles!" Our father nearly yelled from the driver's seat. He was always the first to get annoyed by the constant bickering. "If I hear one more argument in this car, you'll be walking to Mount Massive!" With that, the ninth (I kept track) argument of the day was over.

"That'd be better than being stuck with you guys," Miles muttered under his breath. Thankfully, the news was playing loud enough from the radio, our parents couldn't hear him from the back seat. If they did, I'm sure my father wouldn't have lied about his threat.

Wanting to lighten the mood, I decided to tell some random facts I'd learned about Mount Massive and its surrounding area. "Hey, did you know they say the town is haunted by a creature called the Walrider?" I asked. Miles' eyes snapped towards me, shining with curiosity.

"Really?" I could tell he was excited by his voice alone.

"Yeah. It's apparently from German folklore, known more commonly as the Alp. It sits on your stomach while you sleep and when you wake up, you can't move. Oh, and it also drinks blood from the nippes of men and-"

"Enough, Waylon! I don't need you telling Miles any of your fairy tales. I hope you don't believe that crap either," my father muttered. I decided to not say anything else. Miles, however, still seemed interested. He pulled his phone out of his pocket and I saw out of the corner of my eye Miles typing "Walrider" into Google. I turned away and looked at the scenery out the window. A few raindrops fell onto the windows and thunder rumbled in the distance, probably making everyone's mood even more tense than it was now.

After another half hour, we passed a sign. "Welcome to Mount Massive!" was written in fading paint on the wooden surface. The area along the road now became more wooded, with less and less of the faint sunlight shining down every minute. Eventually, the road opened into the town. Our speed slowed a bit as we passed old looking houses and other buildings. It seemed like a nice town to me, but there was only one thing that bothered me: I couldn't see anyone. It wasn't exactly strange to not see anyone outside when a storm was coming, but to see no one inside either? I couldn't get it out of my mind. I guess I've always been kind of paranoid, though.

"Must not be a lot of people here," my father noted, turning left at an intersection. We went down another road, which I could see led further into the forest ahead. I could barely see the peak of Mount Massive itself poking above the seemingly endless rows of trees. As we went further along the road, and I actually managed to see someone walking down the street. A bit of a strange sight here. We continued into the first line of trees, going up a slight incline, now in the forested section of the town. Upon reaching another turn, we saw a sign with the street's name on it.

"Asylum Road? Nice," Miles commented sarcastically. My mother shot him a disapproving glance. On Asylum Road, the houses were much more spread out. They were also much larger and nicer looking. I swear I saw someone looking at us from a window, but it was probably my imagination. Or maybe someone was looking at us, simply unfamiliar with seeing a new car on the road.

After a few more minutes, we turned and went up a long, dirt driveway. Then, I saw it, our new house. It was made of white colored wood and stood at three stories tall. With a large yard and forest surrounding it, I knew we wouldn't be bothered much. What I didn't know now was the hell our lives would descend into.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2: The First Day (Waylon POV)**

Miles and I grabbed our respective backpacks from the back seat of the car and walked towards the front door. Our parents had opened the trunk and were taking suitcases and boxes out of it. We didn't bring any furniture, the house already came with everything we needed, so there was no need. Of course, we all still packed personal belongings.

I observed the front of our house with interest. A few plants seemed to be growing uncontrollably against it, but besides that, the house seemed well kept. "It's a nice house for such a lonely place, right?" I asked, turning towards my brother. Miles nodded absentmindedly and walked around the corner of the house, looking at something he took an interest in. I shrugged and followed my parents inside once they unlocked the door. I stepped directly into the living room. Straight ahead was the kitchen, which was basically in the same room as the living room with only a counter to separate them. At the back of the kitchen was the door to the yard as well as a door to the bathroom and a hall leading to the dining room. To the right of the living room was a wide and empty doorway to the dining room. Against the right wall of the living room was a staircase, which I immediately went up, wanting to pick my room before Miles could pick his.

Upstairs, there was a single hall with four doors: two to the right and two to the left. I went in the first door on the right. It was a simple room with a double bed to the left. A desk was against the right wall with a large bookshelf next to it and a chair across from it. There was also a small closet in the corner. After checking out the other room, I picked the first room since the second lacked a bookshelf. The other two doors led to a master bedroom and a bathroom. Throwing my backpack near my desk, I flopped onto the bed, glad to finally be out of the crowded car.

After a few minutes of just laying there and staring at my ceiling, my mother shouted at me from downstairs to help unpack. I willingly went back down and grabbed a box with "Waylon" scrawled on it with a sharpie. As I carried it up the stairs, I heard Miles walk in the front door and close it gently behind him. That immediately struck me as odd. Having grown up with Miles my entire life, I memorized the small quirks and habits he had. Closing doors gently was not a thing Miles did. He would slam doors behind him no matter what, even in the middle of the night, which was usually how he got caught after sneaking out. However, I ignored it. Maybe Miles didn't want to potentially damage the door of the new house.

I dropped the box off in my room and went back into the hallway to pick up another. I saw Miles walking down the hallway, his face a bit pale and a thoughtful look in his eyes. "What's wrong?" I asked. "Did you see the Walrider? Or are you just scared that he might get you in your sleep?" I joked. Miles focused on me, his eyes losing the thoughtful look they had.

"Are you kidding? Why would I be scared of that thing?" Miles scoffed. He pushed past me, to the second door. "This is my room?" He asked. I nodded and then he walked in the room. I sighed and continued downstairs, deciding Miles was just being weird. Big city deprivation or something. Common in popular teenagers moving to small towns.

After unpacking everything and setting up my desktop carefully, I went downstairs for dinner. It was just leftovers from the lunch we picked up earlier and snacks from the gas station, since no one had the time to go to the grocery store yet. It was also a late dinner, the time already being 9:00. Miles was definitely more normal now, his face returned to its normal color and his eyes no longer had that strange, blank look in them. After everyone was done eating, my father spoke.

"Alright, boys, so let's talk about the plan for the near future. You'll be going to Mount Massive High School. I've heard it's a nice place, although it is small. Waylon, they have this good programming class. Heard it's taught by this guy who used to work for that Murkoff company or whatever." I got this weird feeling when Murkoff was mentioned. "Also, your mother and I will be going on a week-long trip to California, and I'm trusting you two to not destroy the house while we're gone. No partying." That was directed at Miles. "And-" He was cut off by quick knocking on the door.

"I've got it," I said and walked to the door. I looked out the window on the door, seeing a young looking man in a suit. I opened the door and the man gave a charming smile when he saw me. Now that I could get a better look at him, I noticed he had neatly brushed brown hair and blue eyes. You could tell the man was rich just from the way he held himself.

"Hello. I'm Jeremy Blaire," The man stated as he held out his held for me to shake. I somewhat awkwardly shook his hand before turning and motioning for my father to come to the door. He was up quickly and introduced himself to Jeremy Blaire politely. Miles gave me a questioning look and I shrugged back. "So you're the new family that moved here. Well, welcome to my town." He paused when my father made a confused face. "Oh, didn't you know? I'm the mayor of Mount Massive. My family's been here since the asylum days. My father worked there, in fact. Anyways, I know this place might seem like a ghost town and...unwelcoming, I suppose, from the outside. However, I assure you, it's a friendly place. As long as you don't break any of my rules or start any rumors against me or the town, you'll fit in wonderfully here."

Miles and I shared equally confused glances this time. "I'm sorry for rambling. I just wanted to welcome you to the town and introduce myself to you. Have a good night and I wish you luck here." With that, Jeremy Blaire was gone. My father shut the door behind him, muttering something about "Strange guy" and "Stupid kid running the town".

"Well, it's time I go to bed," My father said as he grabbed the plate from his spot at the table and placed it in the sink before walking up the stairs. Miles followed, carelessly dropping his plate in the sink and running up the stairs.

I offered to help my mother wash the dishes and she gladly accepted, obviously both her and my father were tired after a long day of last-minute packing and driving. After all the dishes were clean and put away neatly, we walked up the stairs and said good night. I had to run back downstairs and make sure the front door was locked one last time. I couldn't shake that feeling of dread, I guess, in my stomach. I walked back up the stairs and noticed light spilling out from Miles' door, which was halfway open.

I snuck to the door and pushed it open, startling my brother. I saw him sitting at his desk, but he quickly shoved something into his backpack. "What's up, Waylon?" Miles stammered, sitting back up in his chair and turning towards me. I took a few steps into his room.

"Nothing. What are you doing?" I noticed the notebook sitting on his desk. He was obviously just writing in it. "Keeping a diary?" I read what he had begun to write.

 _I started feeling sick as soon as we entered this place. Mount Massive, previously home to Mount Massive Asylum, which was shut down in 1971, but not demolished yet. It reopened in 2009 by the Murkoff Corporation but then closed a year later and quickly demolished. However, Murkoff employees still live here. The asylum was possibly closed due to abuse of inmates. I should ask some of the former employees_

That's where it ended, probably when I barged in on him. If he wanted privacy, why leave the door open though? Miles slammed the notebook shut and glared at me. "None of your business," He grumbled, shoving the notebook in his backpack along with whatever he put in there before. I was surprised Miles had done the same amount of research, if not more, than me.

I gave Miles a suspicious glance before turning and walking back towards the doorway. Keeping a diary wasn't exactly a bad idea, especially since I had such a bad feeling about this place. If something ever happened to me, someone would be able to know about my last few days if I kept a diary. Wow, since when have I started thinking so morbidly? I started to close the door. "Don't close the door!" Miles whispered. I stopped pulling it and just left it open, being too tired to question his weird habits now.

"Good night, don't let the Walrider bite," I joked.

Miles let out an obviously fake laugh. "Very funny."

I entered my room and fell onto my bed, not even bothering to change out of my clothes or take off my glasses. Soon, I was asleep.

"Run." My eyes snapped open. I was lying in bed just as I was when I fell asleep. I looked around for the source of the voice, feeling that dread in my stomach again. I couldn't see anyone there. No one in the dark corners. No one in the closet. No one at the window. Then what… My eyes focused on a strange dark cloud that was over me. I stared at the cloud, not knowing what it was. It was almost like a swarm of darkness. Then, two white slits opened in the cloud: eyes. I screamed and fell off my bed, trying to shake the thing off. Was this the Walrider? I wasn't sure, but I knew I wanted to get away. Now.

I tried to open the door, but it was locked. I rattled the door knob frantically, feeling like the ghost creature was creeping up behind me, going to attack any minute now. But when I turned around, there was nothing. I breathed deeply, feeling brief relief before remembering how it appeared out of nowhere before. I went back to trying to force open my door, but it wouldn't budge. I sighed and took my shaking hands off the door knob. I managed to calm myself down some and think about my situation. This can't be real. It can't. Then it struck me. A dream! Of course, how could I be so stupid to think this was real? I let out a small, nervous chuckle and did some tests to check if I was in a dream. I loved researching psychology and things like dreams, so I know how to recognize if I am in one, naturally. I did some quick "reality checks" and sure enough, I was in a dream.

Much more relaxed now, I laughed and sat on my bed, wondering what to do next. The memory of the ghost was quickly replaced by excitement about what I could do in a lucid dream. I approached my door again and this time, it opened. Before I could step out, a hand grabbed my shoulder. "You have to run!" A voice shouted. I spun around and saw a horrifying looking man standing in my room. His face was burnt and scarred. His eyes bulged a little too much out of his head and his nose and teeth were disfigured. "Murkoff will kill us all!" The man then let out a horrible scream, running past me, out the door, and down the stairs. I backed into a corner, shaking. This dream was too real for me.

My eyes snapped open, for real this time. I gasped and jumped up, still feeling fear from that nightmare. After taking a few deep breaths, I reassured myself it was just a dream and that there was no such thing as the Walrider or crazy disfigured men that could appear out of nowhere. Just my paranoia again. Hopefully.

Then, I heard a bang from Miles' room. I checked the digital clock next to my bed, showing the numbers 2:15. What was Miles doing at this time in the morning? Was that even Miles? Questions flooded my brain but I froze again because of the sound of footsteps on the creaking floorboards of the hallway. If it wasn't Miles, then I needed to act and stop a possible thief. If it was Miles, then I could stop him from getting in trouble again. Either way, I knew I should see who it was. So, I swung open the bedroom door.


End file.
